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How a Successful Blog Can Deliver What Readers Want Whilst Making an Additional Income

As the blogging community continues to grow, so does the importance of obtaining consumer opinion in order to remain successful. By keeping tabs on the changing interests of its readers, a blog can continue to deliver compelling content to current followers and court new audiences to aid ad revenue and income. Towards the end of last year, 61 per cent of US consumers had made a purchase based on a blog post. It is therefore crucial that bloggers communicate with readers and gather insights for analysis in order to produce engaging content that will generate an additional income. Here are three ways of ensuring a blog remains lucrative whilst delivering what people want to read.

Monitor conversations

By tracking online conversations, bloggers can use insights to proactively enhance content. For example, an independent clothing line might ask readers what draws them in, and then plan more entries based on their feedback. Using community management and responding to influencers not only shows that a blogger is in tune with his or her readers, but it also creates an opportunity to build a valuable rapport that may instil continued loyalty and generate increased sales. Additionally, bloggers can get to know their followers and understand the tone of comments, which can help inform future ideas for posts.

Provide an incentive for engagement

Survey panels are a valuable method for tapping into target audiences and gathering tailored market intelligence. Bloggers can use these panels to question their own communities to gather editorial ideas, and they can also open them up to third-party companies and organisations. By doing so, both panel owners and panellists are rewarded with a ‘thank you’ payment, which can be used by bloggers to incentivise survey respondents to remain part of their panels and continue providing their opinions on content preferences.

Using specific measurement and market research tools, bloggers can gauge the type of content that resonates well and understand consumer habits better. Google Analytics, for example, lets bloggers discover how engaged readers are, even if they don’t comment, as well as how many people are subscribing to their posts. Additionally, analysing sentiment provides insight into the type of content that captures attention and will ultimately result in continued income. Do picture-based posts generate a more positive reaction for instance, or does text-based content prove more popular? Analysing data in this way enables bloggers to ensure their goals align with what is actually being realised, and helps them to meet acquisition or sales objectives.

These are three examples of how a blog can remain successful whilst delivering what readers want and generating an additional income. By analysing data insights and tracking conversations around a particular blog, authors and marketers can ensure they continue to produce content that will be well received. Additionally, offering an incentive for continued support and loyalty from readers means blogs can stay ahead of competitors by producing innovative content that will result in continued revenue.